Ozymandias

It never ceases to amaze me whenever I look at the photos of Magic Landing as it stands today, I am reminded of the poem by Percy Shelley of Ozymandias.

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

When my friends and I took our cameras to the park in 2005, we documented the deterioration of the park due to the elements and countless human intervention. That was our goal. We ended up with some sad and poignant photos of the park and a lot of them ended up on this site. Included in the pictures was a photo of the SkeeBall building.



Today, I had the opportunity to meet up with a person (who I haven't had permission to say his name yet) with tons of information about the park. He also introduced me to Windows Live. We saw the park (a recent satellite photo, not over 10 years old like Google Earth) as it stands today. One thing I noticed shocked me hardcore.

I don't have my Photoshop software plugged into my computer, but I snagged a screen cap of the park, and the sign that once stood atop of the building has sadly fallen.



My photo was taken in 2005. Since then, some strong storms and strong winds have pounded the far east side of El Paso and the area where the park stands.

The park is, and has been, falling apart. I'm willing to wager the plastic sign itself is shattered in many places and isn't worth saving. It's a sad, hopeless feeling to see the place go away in this manner but the importance of remembering our past is a far more overwhelming urge for this site than to dwell on its future.

Remembering this parks heyday will be the goal for myself and more than likely for Eddie in this new year. Stay tuned for some really good updates in the coming weeks.